In today's digital age, sharing and discovering music has become an integral part of many students' lives. However, some individuals are applying their love of hip-hop to other aspects of their academic experience, according to a new book cited by Inside Higher Ed.

The book, titled Hip-Hop Culture in College Students' Lives, was written by Emery Petchauer, an assistant professor of education at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. Petchauer says that hip-hop collegians are defined by more than just their musical tastes.

"If someone is committed to hip-hop, there are many skills they learn, whether they are verbal, kinetic, electronic or technical," Petchauer told the news source. "Shorthanding, memorizing, speaking effectively and persuasively — all of these transfer over nicely to the classroom and actually support learning."

Hip-hop has become so mainstream that universities have begun offering courses relating to the musical subculture. According to Fox News, Michael Eric Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., teaches a class focusing on performer Jay-Z, titled The Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z. Dyson says that the class focuses on issues such as economic inequality, race and gender identity and capitalism.

Jay-Z is a renowned advocate for education and operates a foundation that provides scholarships for African Americans and students from disadvantaged backgrounds.